When the going gets tough… the tough get going.
Now, let’s tweak that statement a bit… Complete it with YOUR word… what do you desire/need/turn to when things get tough?
Here are a few of my potential examples.
When the going gets tough… the tough get frustrated.
When the going gets tough… the tough get take-out. (I’m an emotional eater. What can I say?)
When the going gets tough… the tough get snippy. (Not proud of this one—but it’s true.)
When the going gets tough… the tough get chocolate. (No explanation necessary, right?)
Um, yes please?!?
But what would happen if we replaced ALL of our tough-time tools with just one very powerful remedy?
When the going gets tough… the tough get Jesus.
Come on. You knew that was coming. 🙂
This example happened to me in real life a few weeks ago as we were slowly but surely trekking across this great nation from Georgia to Washington state en route to our new home.
We were somewhere in Wyoming and it was kind of a frustrating day of travel. Nothing out of the ordinary, but my Beloved and I were just getting a bit road weary after about 2,500 miles in the car with 4-month-old baby girl and a pup.
We had mapped out our trip so we wouldn’t have to push ourselves for hours and hours each day… We knew going into this journey that traveling with a little one was not going to be easy and would add several hours onto our trip daily. (As in a typically 4 or 5 hour daily trip could easily turn into a 7 or 8 or 9 hour trip quicker than you can say “Hey, she’s hungry/wet/needs to burp again.”)
On that particular day, sweet little girl was extra high maintenance. Fussier than normal and protesting her nap so well that it would make anti-napping babies everywhere swell with pride. It was crazy hot (Wyoming in July—‘nuff said) and we had been living a nomadic wandering lifestyle for about 11 days.
I was tired. Frustrated. The going was getting tough… my heart started to race and I could feel the emotions welling up. My first instinct was to raid the console or glove compartment for anything covered in chocolate.
However, since I was the one who packed (and repacked) the car, I knew that there purposefully wasn’t a drop of chocolate anywhere in our vehicle due to the extremely high melting factor.
As my blood pressure rose, I gritted my teeth felt a meltdown coming… just because. I wanted to be done with this trip. I wanted out of the car. I freaking wanted some chocolate.
Suddenly, I heard a heavenly whisper reminding me I didn’t NEED chocolate… I needed HIM.
So I scrounged around in the backseat, amid the diapers and empty water bottles where I was permanently parked and found my small pink Bible. I “randomly” opened it to Psalm 89. It was a message about David… But in the moment, I replaced “David” and “him” with “you” to signify God talking to me. It went a little something like this:
“My hand with sustain you; surely my arm will strengthen you. No enemy will subject you to tribute; no wicked man will oppress you. I will crush your foes before you and strike down your adversaries. My faithful love will be with you, and through my name your horn will be exalted. I will set your hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. You will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’” ~Psalm 89:21-26
After I read through it a couple of times, peace flooded my heart… And wouldn’t you know it—my “need” for chocolate completely disappeared.
I often joke that everything can be fixed with chocolate. But in all honestly… chocolate ain’t got nothing on Jesus.
Loving Sweet Jesus,
SGK
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” ~Psalm 55:22
